Mechanically-operated display device



A. W. STANDING MECHANICALLY OPERATED DISPLAY DEVICE Filed June l, 1928 I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 26, 1929. A. w. STANDING MECHANICALLY OPERATED DISPLAY DEVICE Filed June 1, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

| F6 l I Z 1 v I i i I I L. L!

March 26, 1929. w, STANDING 1,706,467

MECHANIQALLY OPERATED DISPLAY DEVICE Filed June 1, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 26, 1929.

- eairso STATES 1,706,467 PATENT OFFICE.

AIMOS W. STANDING, 0F I-IGUSTON, TEXAS.

MECHANICALLY-OPERATED DISPLAY DEVICE.

Application filed June 1,

My invention relates to display devices for showing cards or plates with advertis-. ing or educational matter thereon. The device is particularly designed for use in advertising, and contemplates the successive display of a series of placards, or the like, having advertising matter thereon.

It is an object of my invention to provide a display device havinga series of display plates therein whichmay be changed in position regularly and in which the said plates are most advantageously placed so as to be seen and noted. 7

It is a further object to provide mechanical means to move the display plates so that they may be changedregularly, said mechanical means being simple and positive and not liable to get out of order. I

It is also desired that it be possible to dis play a plurality of the plates simultaneously.

leferring to the drawing herewith, Fig. 1 is a central vertical section through the housing of my device illustrating the arrangement of the operating parts of the device.

F 2 is a fragmental section taken on the plane 22 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is a View partly in'section of the forward side of the device taken on the plane 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4.- is a sectional plan view taken on the plane 4l lof Fig. 1 and including the motor by means of which the device is operated.

In constructing my device I forma casing or housing for the device which includes a base 1 of fairly heavy construction. On said base is an upright frame having transverse members 2 at the lower end and 3 at the upper end which connect upright posts 4 at each; side. The rearward side of the housing is made up of a casing 6 of comparatively thin material which maybe sheet metal if desired.

Projecting forwardly from the frame of the device are two supports 7 having guides 8 on their inner sides. The supporting plates 7 are shaped to conform to the path of the, grooves in which the display plates are to travel. The upper side .is approximately horizontal, the forward side of the horizontal portion being curved forwardly and then downwardly toward the forward'side of the frame. The rearward portion of the guideway is vertical and perpendicular to thehorizontal portion. The curved forward portion approaches the vertical part at an acute angle so that an endless trackwiy is formed which has substantially the outline of a 1928. Serial No. 232,142.

triangle which is rounded somewhat at one corner. The side plates 7extend forwardly from the frame members 2 for a short distance as shown at 8 in Fig. 1.

The guide ways 8 on the inner sides of the two supporting plates 7 are made up of two spaced members 9 and 10. The outer member 9 is spacedfrom the inner member'lO a sufiicient distance to provide between the two members a guide way indicated at 11. This guide way, as will be seen particularly from hi 8 and 4, has a lining or bushing 12 thereinof metal, said lining being formed with .two longitudinal channels 13 which act as a raceway in which bearing members 1 1 upon the supporting rods 15 may roll.

. As will be seen from Fig. 1 the guide mem bers have an upright or vertical section 16 whichis curved at its upper end to join the horizontal section 17.

mately on the arcof a circle forwardly and downi'ardly and connects with an inclined section 18 which in turn connects with the vertical section of a slot at the lower end thereof. I The rods 15 which are supported in the guide ways 8 have ateach end thereof a pair of rollers or balls 14 previously mentioned which fit within the channels in the guide ways. The balls are rotatable on the rod and as will be seen fromFig. 3, the rod is reduced in'diameter at its ends to receive the said balls 14, allowing the balls to rotate on the reds as will be obvious. On each of said rods I contemplate supporting a card or plate 20 which is of suitable length to move freely between the side supports 7. They aresecured to the rods bya flexible connection comprising a ring 21 upon the rod connected by means of a link 22 with the upper side of the display card or plate. I provide one of these flexible connections adjacent each end of the rod and the display card will hang by gravity directly downward relative to, the rod no matter in what position the rod happens to be.

.To move the rods with the display cards thereon within the guide ways, I provide a sprocket chain 23 at each side of the housing. Said sprocket chains are operated through sprocket wheels 24 at the upper end and 25 at the lower end. Said sprocket wheels are mounted upon shafts 2.6 and 27 respectively, having a bearing at their ends on the inner walls of the housing.

The lowermost 'shaft27 is adapted to be The horizontal portion 17 at its forward end is curved approxirotated by means of a motor 28 mounted upon the base 1 at the rearward side of the housand operatively connected with a shaft 29 through a belt 30 and pulley 31. The shaft 29 is connected through a worm gear 32 with shaf 33 mounted. in bearings 34 upon the base. On said shaft 33 is a sprocket wheel. 35 which is engaged by means of a sprocket chain 36 with a sprocket wheel 37 upon the shaft 27. In this way the shaft 27 may be rotated to move the chains 23 relative to the display rack.

At one point upon the chain 23 I provide a forwardly extending linger The advancing side of said linger has an engaging surface which is :ulapted to contact with the rods 15 when they are at the lower end of the vertical portion 16 of the guide way. As will be seen from Fig. 1 the operation of the chain will bring the two lingers 38 on the two chains beneath the lOCllf), thus carrying the rod verticallyalong the portion 16 of the slot and delivering it onto the horizontal portion at the upper side of the guide way.

The rods moving into the horizontal portion 17 of the guide way are latched temporarily into position to prevent their accidental displacement by means of a spring pressed bolt or latch 40. The construction of this latch will best be seen from Fig. The bolt l0 is housed within a cup-shaped casing 41. the outer rim of which is closed by means of a threaded plug 42. The belt is slidable through the plug and through an opening 43 on the forward side of the casing and the inner end of said bolt projects into the guide way so as to engage with the rod and hold it from dropping back into the vertical portion 16 of the guide. A spring 414 within the casing 41 hears at its forward end a 'ainst an adjustable nut l5 upon the bolt holding it normally extended so as to bring the rounded forward end of the bolt projecting slightly into the guide way. This bolt may be manually withdrawn through means of an outer handle do on said belt.

I provide two of these spring pressed bolts, one at each end of the horizontal section 1.7 of the guide way. The forward ends of the bolts are rounded so that when the rods are pressed strongly against the bolts they will be pushed out of the slot, allowing the rod to pass, but the springs will hold the bolts normally projecting so that the said bolts will resist the ordinary weight of the rods which might tend to cause the rods to move past said. bolts under the force of gravity.

In the use of my device the motor will be operated. to move the shaft :27 and the sprocket chain 23 at the desired rate of speed so as to change the display cards at predetermined intervals of time. The upper horizontal section 17 of the guide way is of su'liicient length to contain a suitable number of rods 15 with their display cards thereon. There will, therefore, be one or more of'said rods at the lower end of the vertical guide way 16 when a linger 38 reaches the proper position. is the chain is rotated the lingers 38 will engage beneath said rod 15, carrying it slowly upward and delivering it into the horizontal portion 17. The fingers will push the rod into the horizontal portion .17 past the latching bolt 40. The rod which is inserted will move the others forwardly and the forward latch bolt 4:0 will be depressed allowing the foremost of the rods to be released, moving into the guide way and sliding down into the lower position at the lower end of the vertical slot 16 rear y to be engaged by the finger 38 on its next round.

I contemplate that each of the cards or plates 20 will have on the forward face thereof, a display of some character which may be simply advertising, illustrated or not illustrated, or it may contain simple pictures, photographs or displays of goods. Each of the said cards will be displayed forwardly to the observer as it assumesthe position at the forward side of the horizontal portion of the slot 17. When it is moved from this position through the force of the next succeeding rod 15, forced forwardly by the finger 38, it will move by gravity to the posi tion at the lower end of the vertical slot 16 with the display face still presented forwardly to the observer. It will remain in this position for a short space before it is engaged by the fingers 38 and raised into a position at the rear of the series of plates.

The rods wit-h their display cards thereon may be removed and replaced by others when desired through an opening which may be made at the lower end of the vertical slot 16. The forward side of the guide way may have 105 a short removable section 18 which, if desired, may be hinged at 49', latched in normal position by swinging latch 50. There are similar openings at both ends of the guide way so that the removable section 48 may be swung 110 open and allow the rods to move forwardly out of the guide way in an obvious manner. This allows the ready substitution of new cards or plates when desired.

The advantages of my construction lie in 115 its simplicity whereby it will not readily get out of order and in the arrangement whereby each of the cards or plates may be displayed in different positions for time sufficient to allow the observer to read fully the advertising matter thereon. Each of the plates when on'display is in. a position where it may be readily seen and the manner in which the card movedwill attract attention to the advertising thereon. Obviously the de 395 Vice may be illuminated in any manner desired; such feature, however, being-no part of my invention. 7 1

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. A display device including a frame, a rack on the forward side thereoficomprising two side supports having endless guideways therein, said guideways being'upright adjacent sai d frame and approxin'iatcly horizontal along the upper side and curved downwardly and rearwardly therefrom to forma gravity path to connect with said uprightportion,

rods supported in said guideways, display cards on said rods and means to periodically move said rods in said guideways.

2. A display device including .a frame, a rack on the forward side thereof comprising two side supports having endless guideways therein, said guideways being upright adjacent said frame and approximately horizontal along the upper side and curved downwardly and rearwardly therefrom to connectwith said upright portion, rods supported in horizontal position in said guideways, display means depending from said rods, means to retain said rods releasably in said horizontal portion, and means to periodically release one of saio rods from said horizontal guide portion whereby it may move downwardly by gravity to said upright portion of saidguideway.

3. A display device including a frame, a pair of opposed guideways in said frame each including a double race way, rods supported therein, cards on said rods, said guide ways being endless and having an upper sup porting portion adapted to contain a plurality of said rods, and means to move one of said rods into the rear of saidsupporting por tion, and to displace the forward one therefrom, the path of said guideway having a contour such that the displaced rod will fall downwardly and rearwardly by gravity.

4. A display deviceincluding a frame, a pair of opposed guideways in said frame each including a double race way, rods supported therein, cards on said rods, said guideways being endless and having an upper supporting portion adapted to contain a plurality of said rods and mechanically operated means to cause movement of one of said rods from said supporting portions whereby it may fall to the lower portions of said guideways, said means operating at predetermined intervals of time.

5. A display device including a frame opposed endless guideways therein, each comprising a double raceway, rods having their ends supported in said raceways, an upper portion in each of said guideways where in said rods may be stored, placards depending from said rods, and means to periodically move the forward one of said rods from said upper portion whereby it may fall by gravity to the lower ends of said guideways for the purpose described. 1

6. A display device including a frame, opposed endless guideways therein each comprising a double race way, rods having their ends supported in said raceways, upper and lower portions in each of said guideways wherein said rods may be stored, placards depending from said rods, andmeans to periodically movethe forward one of said rods from an upper display position whereby it may travel by gravity in said guideways to a lower display position rearwardly of said first position. i

7. A display device comprising a frame, endless opposed guideways thereon, rods movable insaid guideways, anti lriction rollers on said rods in said guideways, an upper supporting portion in said guideways, latch means in said guideways at each end of said supporting portion, and means to move a rod past the inner-most latch to force the outermost rod past the outermost latch, Y

8. An advertising card display device including in combination a frame, a pair of supports thereon, an endless guideway in each support which comprises a horizontal portion, a vertical portion pe pendicular thereto, and a curved portion connecting the remote end of the aforesaid portions to form said endless guideway, said horizontal and said curved portions extending in advance of said frame, rods adapted to traverse the curved portion of said guideway by gravity, means to raise said rods thru said vertical portion, a display card carried by each of said rods and adapted to be viewed while on the horizontal portion, the curved portion, and the lower end of the vertical portion of said guideway.

9. A device of the character described including display cards, supporting members therefor, guideways in said members permitting display of said cards in an upper and a lower position, a single mechanical means disposed entirely behind said guideways for raisingsaid cards from said lower to said upper position, and means actuated by the insertion of a card in said upper position to permit another of said cards to travel by gravity to said lower position whereby said single mechanical means operates said device.

10. A card display apparatus including means to display the, cards in an upper and a lower position, a guideway connecting the .said positions, said guideway having but a single horizontal portion, said lower display position being located below and rearwardly of said horizontal portion, and means to elevate the cards from said lower to said upper position. i

11. Acard display rack including means to support and permit movement of the cards, a guideway in which the cards may travel comprising a horizontal portion, a vertical portion, and a downwardly inclined portion, said portions connecting to take a substantially triangular form, and mechanical means to raise the cards thru said vertical portion whereby the entrance of the raised card into I said horizontal portion causes previously raised cards to move forward so that at least one of them will fall by gravity to said vertical portion. 7

12. A card display rack including movable advertising cards, means including double race Ways whereby the cards travel from an upper forward display position to lower rearward position by gravity, and means to IiUSG 10 the cards to the first display position.

13. A card display rack, means to permit thedisplay of cards in an upperl'orward and a lower rearward position, mean including double raoeways whereby the cards travel from one of said positions to the other by gravity and means to restore the card to said first position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature May A. D. 1928. I

' AMOS WV. STANDING. 

